Memory News Digest

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T h e M e m o r y K e y
<http://www.memory-key.com>

Your resource for information about memory and memory improvement

September 2006

<http://www.memory-key.com/newsletters/issue_90.htm>

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THIS MONTH ON MEMORY-KEY.COM:

NEWS
Anticipation strengthens memory
Long-term lead exposure linked to cognitive decline in older adults
Elevated testosterone kills nerve cells
Anemia linked to impaired thinking in older adults
Senior’s memory complaints should be taken seriously
Evidence musical training affects brain development
Drug for teen drivers with ADHD
Drug improves memory loss for traumatic brain injury patients
More support that sleep helps consolidate learning
Human study supports value of daytime napping for learning
A cognitive strategy shared by human infants and our great-ape kin

ALZHEIMER'S NEWS
New early diagnostic test trialed
Insulin receptor stops progression of Alzheimer's
Link between increased weight-loss rate and dementia
Two-fold role of Alzheimer’s genes?

BLOG

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The e-book on "Remembering intentions" is now $9.95!
Check it out at:
http://www.memory-key.com/shop/intention_ebook.htm

Note that you can now use your credit cards on Paypal.
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Find out about my YA novel at:
http://www.fmmcpherson.com/

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NEWS
<http://www.memory-key.com/MemoryGuide/news.htm>

September 2006
<http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Sep.htm>

Anticipation strengthens memory
An imaging study has revealed how expectancy can affect long-term memory formation, and suggests that the greater our anxiety about a situation, the better we’ll remember that situation. If it’s an unpleasant one, this will only reinforce the anxiety, setting up a vicious cycle.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Sep.htm#Anticipation

Long-term lead exposure linked to cognitive decline in older adults
Higher lead levels in the bone were consistently associated with worse cognitive performance in older adults, but blood lead levels were not. Bone lead levels were significantly higher in African Americans compared to Caucasians.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Sep.htm#lead

Elevated testosterone kills nerve cells
While some research has shown cognitive benefits of testosterone, it seems high levels trigger cell death, at least in nerve cells in culture. The findings point to another potential danger of steroid use.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Sep.htm#testosterone

Anemia linked to impaired thinking in older adults
A study of women between 70 and 80 years old, has found that those with mild anemia were four to five times more likely to perform worst on tests of executive function.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Sep.htm#Anemia

Senior’s memory complaints should be taken seriously
A study of older adults found those who complained of significant memory problems but who performed normally on memory tests had a 3% reduction in gray matter density in their brains, compared to 4% in those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. This suggests that significant memory loss complaints may indicate a very early "pre-MCI" stage of dementia for some people.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Sep.htm#complaints

Evidence musical training affects brain development
A study that examined 12 young children (4—6 year olds) over the course of a year found measurable cognitive and brain activity differences in those taking Suzuki music lessons compared to those having no musical training outside school. The Suzuki children not only showed greater improvement over the year in melody, harmony and rhythm processing but also in general memory skills such as literacy, verbal memory, visiospatial processing, mathematics and IQ.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Sep.htm#musical

Drug for teen drivers with ADHD
Teenagers with ADHD treated with Concerta had fewer inattentive driving errors and less hyperactive or impulsive driving errors, such as speeding and inappropriate braking, compared to those treated with Adderall XR or placebo.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Sep.htm#ADHD

Drug improves memory loss for traumatic brain injury patients
Rivastigmine, a drug used to treat Alzheimer’s, significantly improved attention and verbal memory test scores in patients with traumatic brain injury who had moderate to severe memory impairment. However, the drug was not effective for patients with less severe memory loss.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Sep.htm#injury

More support that sleep helps consolidate learning
Fruitflies in a social environment with at least 30 other flies slept four times as long during their daytime naps as flies in isolation. There was no difference in night-time sleep. The length of the nap increased with the size of the group. Switching off seventeen genes related to long-term memory made the flies sleep equally long regardless of environment.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Sep.htm#sleep

Human study supports value of daytime napping for learning
REM sleep has been convincingly shown to be important in consolidating procedural (skill) learning. A new study confirms that non-REM (slow-wave) sleep is more important for declarative (knowledge-based) learning.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Sep.htm#napping

A cognitive strategy shared by human infants and our great-ape kin
A comparison of the cognitive strategies of humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans, has revealed that all non-human great apes and 1-year-old human infants prefer a locational strategy for finding objects, suggesting that the common ancestor of all great apes enacted a similar strategy preference in employing spatial memory. However, 3-year-old human children chose an object strategy when it was more efficient.
http://www.memory-key.com/news/2006/news_2006Sep.htm#strategy

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ALZHEIMER'S NEWS
<http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers%20news.htm>

September 2006
<http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers_2006b.htm>

New early diagnostic test trialed
A mouse study has used a laser scan of the eyes to accurately diagnose Alzheimer's well before the disease was evident in the brain. The study follows on from earlier research revealing that beta-amyloid protein is evident in the eyes of Alzheimer’s patients. The test, which is a very quick and simple procedure, is now in the first stage of experimental trials in people.
http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers_2006b.htm#early

Insulin receptor stops progression of Alzheimer's
A new study offers support for the idea of Alzheimer's as a form of diabetes, and has successfully preserved learning and memory in rats with induced Alzheimer's disease by treating receptors in the brain that control insulin responses.
http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers_2006b.htm#Insulin

Link between increased weight-loss rate and dementia
The link between weight loss and Alzheimer’s in women has been confirmed in a long-term study of both men and women. The study revealed that average rate of weight loss doubled in the year before symptoms of Alzheimer's-type dementia first became detectable, suggesting it may be a useful biomarker.
http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers_2006b.htm#wtloss

Two-fold role of Alzheimer’s genes?
The genes responsible for the inherited form of Alzheimer's disease are primarily known for their role as an enzyme that cleaves amyloid precursor protein (APP) to form amyloid ß-peptide, but new research indicates that these genes also may control the balance of calcium within cells. If this function is also important in the development of Alzheimer’s, drugs that restore normal calcium levels might be useful for treating Alzheimer's disease.
http://www.memory-key.com/Seniors/Alzheimers_2006b.htm#Two

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BLOG
www.memory-key.com/blogger.html

Latest posts:

* early mammals nocturnal?
* Genes, environment and depression
* Internet therapy for depression
* More on mirror neurons
* why our eyes move constantly
* advantages of a Montessori education
* brain region linked to selfish behavior
* compulsive shoppers

* thinking faster makes you feel happier and more energized.
* the reality of 'hysteria'
* auditory mirror neurons and empathy
* a gene for extreme 'larks'

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